Now, the families at the center of those brutality cases must wait even longer. Johnson, who lost her re-election bid, has decided to let her successor, John Creuzot, determine the cases’ fate when he becomes Dallas County DA in January.

Vicki Timpa says she hopes incoming DA John Creuzot pursues prosecution of three police officers indicted last year in her son's death.

(File Photo/Staff)

Johnson’s delays have mystified family members, civil rights activists and some law enforcement experts. They question whether Johnson, who nevertheless recently prosecuted former Balch Springs police Officer Roy Oliver on murder charges, was playing it safe politically.

If she shies away from additional cases involving police agencies with which she closely collaborates, the former district judge can preserve political support for future election campaigns, said the Rev. Peter Johnson, a Dallas civil rights leader.

“From the police to the DA's office, there was never any urgency to find out the truth about what happened to my son,’’ she said. “It’s like they said, ‘Let’s just put this in a drawer, and not look at it.’’’

Johnson declined to be interviewed. She released a short statement saying politics have played no role in her decisions.

“As I’ve stated multiple times: I don’t care who you are or what color you are," she said. “I don’t care if you’re rich or poor or what your profession is. Anyone who violates the law will be prosecuted. My record speaks for itself.’’

“I hate to say it, but this doesn’t look good,’’ said former Dallas district attorney Craig Watkins, who earned a national reputation for exposing flawed police work. “You’d think with the tenor of issues involving police officers today that the DA’s office would be at the forefront of making sure the public believes in the system.’’

Creuzot declined to comment on the cases, except to say that he will review them, along with Johnson’s protocols, once he’s in office.

DA’s watchdog role

The DA’s role as a watchdog over police is a crucial one. Police departments nationwide have been criticized for treating their own officers too leniently, particularly in brutality cases.

But district attorneys also rely on those same police departments to build criminal cases.

“It is a problem and a challenge for prosecutors to walk the narrow line between working on a daily basis with law enforcement but also having to exercise oversight of their actions if police step out of line,’’ said Shannon Edmonds, director of governmental relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

Johnson has been willing to challenge police, in a county where indictments of officers in use-of-force cases are rare. Her statement to The News cited her four prosecutions of officers.

The DA’s most high-profile win was securing the murder conviction of Oliver, the Balch Springs officer, for the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. It was the first murder conviction of a police officer for an on-duty incident in Dallas County in over 40 years.

But pursuing officer-misconduct cases can bring condemnation from police.

That happened with the Timpa case.

Timpa had called 911 one August night in 2016. The 32-year-old Rockwall man was in a panic and high on cocaine after leaving a porn store on Mockingbird Lane. But he was dead within an hour.

The responding officers mocked Timpa in his final breaths, with one officer pinning a knee in his back for more than 14 minutes, as Timpa begged, “Don’t hurt me,’’ according to a lawsuit filed by the family, based on video footage the police released only to the family’s attorney. The footage is under protective order in federal court and has never been released to the public.

They were placed on administrative leave following the indictments, and records show the officers remained on the city's payroll in 2018.

The officers denied wrongdoing, claiming their actions were justified because Timpa violently kicked and was in danger of rolling into the roadway.

The Dallas Police Association, which represents about 3,000 officers, issued a statement calling the indictments unjust and baseless. Such force is commonly used and justified, the group said.

Johnson’s spokeswoman said the association’s stance had no influence whatsoever on the case’s status.

And despite the fact federal officials are looking at the case, Watkins said that shouldn’t interfere with Johnson’s decisions.

“That federal case wouldn't have any bearing on whether the DA office is going to do anything,’’ Watkins said. “It's a separate entity. That may be something of an out — a reason not to deal with it.’’

What happened in DeSoto

Civil rights leaders and legal experts have said the DeSoto mother’s account of brutal treatment by six of the city’s police officers shows why the DA needs to investigate allegations of police misconduct.

Sammie Anderson (right) recently organized a balloon launch to celebrate the exoneration of her sons Grant Bible (far left) and Sam Bible (not pictured) of charges of interfering with police officers. Their attorney Anthony Farmer is at center. (Miles Moffeit/Staff)

That was even after a video was released, following a News investigation, showing the officers using aggressive force in response to Sammie Anderson’s 911 call.

Anderson had feared a dispute between two of her sons might lead to violence, but the argument was over when police arrived. Officers slammed her to the pavement and Tased one of her sons, Grant Bible, for about 40 seconds as he lay in the street screaming.

DeSoto’s police chief publicly defended his officers as acting appropriately, even before his internal affairs unit had completed its inquiry — a move legal experts criticized because it could taint the probe. The police department also sought misdemeanor charges against Bible and his brother Sam, for allegedly interfering with officers.

Johnson, the DA, found no evidence that the brothers did anything wrong, and dropped the charges.

He said the DA’s insistence that a complaint needs to be filed before an investigation is launched feels like an excuse not to wade into a controversial matter.

"I think Faith knows she would face opposition, from the police and their associations,'' he said. "I think Faith is thinking about keeping her political support in DeSoto for future election campaigns.’’

Anderson, the mother who filed the initial brutality complaint with DeSoto police, said she is puzzled that Johnson wants her to file one with her office to trigger an investigation.

“If another formal complaint is what they want, I’m on board with doing it,’’ Anderson said.

Law-enforcement experts have told The News that Texas DAs wield the latitude to initiate investigations without a formal complaint.

“I’d love to see officers in situations like these held accountable,’’ Anderson said. “My takeaway after all we’ve been through is that everything that happens to you is much bigger than you think. Other people are going through the same things.’’